Face the Music
by Thee Slushee
Summary: Pre3rd Iron Fist. Ling Xiaoyu is a 16yearold who has come to Japan to enter the 3rd tournament. Once she encounters Jin, they discover they have more in common than just fighting. As a talent quest approaches, the two work together on a performance.
1. First impressions

**A/N: Yo Yo peoples! I thought that I should scrap this story and just try this whole thing again. The last time I tried this I felt that I rushed it too much so I decided to scrap it while it was still early compared to wanting to scrap it wen I've actually gotten a fair way into it…hope that this new redone version will be better! Oh, and for you Xiaoyinners out there? Sorry, but this fic isn't going to be Xiaoyin. Its just a friendship fic so there isn't going to be any romance in it…well, not enough to spark a potential relationship between the two :P **

**I don't own Tekken and I never will! It'll always be under the protection of Namco so no-one else will screw it up.**

**Okay, to the first chapter.**

**Chapter 1: First impressions**

"Wow…" The 16-year-old Ling Xiaoyu mused with wide eyes, staring out into the city of Tokyo. She was leaning against the railing of the Mishima Zaibatsu cruiser. It was just the two nights before when she snuck onboard and went crazy when Heihachi's bodyguards discovered her. It was amazing that he was actually taking her to stay with him for the tournament at all! Xiaoyu was fully aware of the risks involved with entering a fighting tournament of this magnitude. But she had every bit of confidence in herself that she would do well and be able to create the best amusement park the world has ever known!

Xiaoyu closed her eyes and let the breeze glide past her, her short pigtails swaying ever so slightly.

'Welcome to Tokyo, Xiaoyu." Heihachi approached her, causing Xiaoyu to spin around to meet him.

"I can't thank you enough for letting me stay with you for this tournament." Xiaoyu formally bowed in respect.

"A girl of your age shouldn't be able to participate in a tournament like this…but your skills have proven to me that you can withstand something like this, which is a great achievement." Heihachi praised. Xiaoyu beamed and turned back to Tokyo, the enormous buildings looming closer and closer.

"This doesn't mean that your schooling will be put on hold. You will be attending my personal high school with my grandson." Heihachi continued, Xiaoyu looked over her shoulder and stared at Heihachi in disbelief.

"You have your own high school?! Is there anything you _don't_ have?" Xiaoyu questioned. Heihachi chuckled and shook his head.

"We will be approaching land soon. Be ready." With that, Heihachi turned around and strolled downstairs to the ship's main cabin.

* * *

"Oh…my…god," Was all the words that escaped Xiaoyu's lips as the black stretch limousine drove its way to the mansion. There was a vast amount of land in the form of a large semicircle. At the top, there was an elaborate fountain with cherubs sprouting delicate streams of water. Lining the semicircle was a neat road, which was the path to the two storey mansion, which was a soft navy blue with massive pillars lining the entrance. When Xiaoyu stepped out of the car, it took the driver to wave a hand in front of her face to snap her out of her trance. 

"Would you like me to carry your bags inside, Miss Ling?" The driver asked. Xiaoyu smiled, but shook her head.

"It's okay, I can take them up myself," It was then that she opened the boot to discover three suitcases filled with her possessions. She looked back at the driver and smiled sheepishly.

"Maybe I'll need a _little _help,"

When the final suitcase was dumped in her new room, she lay flat on her pink four poster bed. Heihachi really had the place prepared for her arrival. At the foot of her bed, there were numerous cushions and beanbags, which made it convenient to watch the wall mounted TV that was fixed opposite her four poster bed. There was a study table facing the wall to the right of Xiaoyu and a vanity table to her left. The carpeting was a bright yellow and the wall was a pale shade of pink. All she needed to do was add a few posters and a few accessories on her table and this room would definitely scream out 'Xiaoyu'. The best part of her room was the balcony, which lay to the right of her study table. Xiaoyu reluctantly got slid off her bed and strolled towards the balcony. After she unlocked the door and pulled it open, a soft breeze greeting her as she stepped outside. The view was breathtaking. Night had fallen, but Tokyo was still alive. Lots of bright lights were projected from the city area in a variety of colours. As Xiaoyu was looking around, a soft gasp escaped her lips as she noticed that someone was out on the balcony next to hers. Xiaoyu took a step closer and squinted in the moonlight to get a better look at him.

The figure was a young man, not much older than Xiaoyu, leaning against the railing and staring out into the distance with an unreadable expression. His most unusual feature was his hair, which was black and stuck out in a stiff spike behind him, with a few bangs falling in front of his face. He wore a loose white buttoned t-shirt (which wasn't buttoned up) and black trackpants with a blend of red, orange and yellow creeping up one of the legs in a form of a flame. He was quite tall and buff and his body was glistening with sweat, appearing to just have come from some sort of hardened training. _He must be Mr. Mishima's grandson, _Xiaoyu thought. _Well, may as well talk to him since I'm going to be living with him._ Xiaoyu casually strolled over to the railing that separated her balcony from his and leaned against it.

"Hey," Xiaoyu chirped, making the figure instantly snap his head towards her. His reply to her was a confused stare.

"Uh…I'm Xiaoyu. I've just got here from China with your grandfather. I'll be staying with you," Xiaoyu introduced. The figure turned back to stare off into the distance again.

"Hi," Came his one word reply in a very deep voice.

"Well…do you have any name of some sort?" Xiaoyu asked in a little bit of a harsher tone than she wanted.

"Jin," Came yet another one word reply._ Well, very nice to meet you too, Jin,_ Xiaoyu thought sarcastically in her mind. Silence fell between the two. Xiaoyu left the dividing railing and placed her hands on the railing of her own balcony and stared into the sky. The large full moon sat shining brightly on the Eastern side of the sky with few stars dotting the otherwise pitch black sky.

"There's not many stars out here, are they?" Xiaoyu stated, trying to spark some conversation between the two. She got more of a reaction from him than she thought.

"There's never any stars out," Jin answered quickly. His voice wasn't completely monotone this time. There was a tinge of sadness in his voice.

"I guess you're used to seeing stars out a lot, huh?" Xiaoyu asked, eager to keep up the conversation. A brief nod was all the answer she got from him, eyes still glued to the distance. _Gee, there goes that down the drain,_ Xiaoyu thought. Silence ensued once again.

"Well, I'm gonna go…nice to meet you Jin," With a hasty wave (which she was sure he didn't even receive), Xiaoyu instantly sprung back into her room and quickly closed the glass sliding door. Upon closing it, she leaned against it and slowly slid down until she was sitting on the ground.

"Well wasn't that the greatest first conversation ever," Xiaoyu said sarcastically. Xiaoyu got up from her place on the floor and flopped back on her pink four poster bed.

"Man, and I'm living with him too!" Xiaoyu said to herself as she stared at the ceiling._ This is definitely going to be very interesting..._

**A/N: Yo all! Yeah, sorry that this chapter was WAYYY too short, MUCH shorter than the original first chapter…I just thought I rushed things a bit too much the last time I attempted this story so I'm trying it again except this time, I'm taking stuff a lil slower. Hope u guys like it! This was the original idea I had for them meeting for the first time…the time with instruments comes in a bit later…but I hope you guys like! Review and lemme know what u thought!**


	2. A new friend

**A/N: Yo Yo peoples everywhere who actually clicked on the link to read this story :D Its Thee Slushee yet again with another chapter of Face the Music. Now, I know, my overdue update is completely inexcusable… well, schools out for the year here so its time to…u guessed it, BUM!!! (lol u were expecting party aye? HAHA :P) but I have 3 major obstacles:**

**1. Hibeki has let me borrow her copy of Kingdom Hearts 1…and I'm playing it OBSESSIVELY!!! Shall suck up to my friends for KH2 when I'm done…**

**2. My bro playing Maple Story (some MMORPG) 24/7!**

**3. You guessed it, my unsurpassable laziness**

**Well, now I've droned on long enough…to the 2nd chapter of Face the Music!**

**Chapter 2: A new friend**

The steady, monotone beeping of her alarm clock penetrated the realm of sleep for Xiaoyu. She groaned in annoyance and lazily silenced the alarm clock with a simple tap on the top. Xiaoyu reluctantly sat up, rubbing her eyes. She pulled off her pink duvet and rested her feet on the yellow carpet, resisting the morning chill. She stood up, wearing a pink sleeveless Panda top with matching satin pants, letting out a big yawn and stretching her arms. As she became more aware of where she was, a thought came to her. _Do I have to start going to school today? Where's my uniform?_ Xiaoyu opened a door with the full sized mirror fixed on it to reveal a walk-in wardrobe. She hadn't put any of her clothes in it yet but the closet wasn't empty. Dangling on a clothes hanger was a navy blue sailor style top with a bright blue bow and white sleeves with an emblem on each one. On another clothes hanger next to it was a pleated pinstripe skirt that was neatly folded over the clothes hanger. Below the two items of clothing were dark brown school shoes.

Xiaoyu took the hangers and the shoes and placed them neatly on her bed. _Wonder if I need any socks? Well, I guess I'm supposed to…and that must mean that they must be hiding around here somewhere_. Xiaoyu scanned her room for possible hiding places. Her eyes rested on the vanity table. She approached it and pulled open one of the drawers. Surely enough, there were long white socks that were neatly folded in rows in the drawer. Xiaoyu took a pair and tossed them on her bed. She examined her uniform critically. _Not bad…and I have matching hair ties and bangles!_

After Xiaoyu brushed her teeth in the bathroom, she stepped back into her room and donned her uniform. After tying her hair in her traditional two pigtail style and fixing on her big, green bangles, she stood in front of the full sized mirror. She clapped her hands in satisfaction and rummaged through her suitcase for her school folder. Xiaoyu glanced at the time on her alarm clock: 7:50 AM. _Ok, time to go down for breakfast_. With that, Xiaoyu exited her room and walked down one corridor, admiring the numerous pieces of artwork hung on the wall. Eventually, she came to a staircase. She caught sight of Jin halfway down the staircase. He was wearing pinstriped pants (like her skirt), a purple sweater with the school emblem emblazoned on it with the collar of the school shirt over the top and brown school shoes. _Hey, this could be the perfect opportunity to get rid of the awkwardness of last night and have a proper introduction, _Xiaoyu thought to herself. She skipped down the stairs, catching up to him in no time.

"Jin," Xiaoyu called out to him, causing him to turn around.

"I think our first conversation went a little weirdly so let's start things over," Xiaoyu said, looking up at him. She stood in front of him, causing him to stop walking.

"Hi, I'm Ling Xiaoyu," Xiaoyu held out a hand. Jin stared at her hand then back at Xiaoyu. Xiaoyu wore an eager smile on her face, which started to fade the longer Jin left her hanging. His response to Xiaoyu's effort was a push passed her to the dining hall. Xiaoyu stared after him with a look of utter shock, as if she's just been slapped. She placed her hands on her hips and pouted. _The nerve of that guy! What's with him anyway?!? Its like he doesn't want to have anything to do with me!_, Xiaoyu thought angrily. She sighed and proceeded towards the dining hall. Upon entering, a long dining table that stretched for 6 meters seemed to be the only thing that filled the room. The man that brought her here, Heihachi Mishima, was reading the newspaper at the very end of the dining table to her left. Jin had taken a seat directly in front of her. Xiaoyu walked to the right and sat in a seat one chair away from Jin.

"How do you like your stay here, Xiaoyu?" Heihachi asked from one of the top seats, lowering his newspaper to see her.

"It's all really nice, Mr. Mishima. It's definitely more than I could ever ask for," Xiaoyu replied politely, looking down at her breakfast, which was a bacon and egg croissant with a glass of milk. Instead of spending nearly ten minutes deciding which of the many forks and knives to use, Xiaoyu picked up the croissant and took a bite out of it. She looked over at Jin, who seemed to be scoffing down his breakfast, as if he was in a hurry. Within two minutes, the scraping sound of Jin's chair rubbing against the floor was heard as he was getting up and leaving. _Woah, he's a fast eater,_ Xiaoyu thought, as she wasn't even nearly halfway through her breakfast. After a few minutes, Xiaoyu sculled down the glass of milk and stood up.

"Well, I guess I'll be heading to school now. Bye," Xiaoyu said, getting up to leave. She gave a brief wave before exiting the dining hall. Jin was seen waiting by the door for her. A smile of relief washed over Xiaoyu's features. _Maybe there's some hope for him after all._

"Thanks for waiting," Xiaoyu thanked. Jin immediately left for the limo without a second look at Xiaoyu, causing her to scowl. _Or NOT!_ After they clambered into the limo, silence fell in between the two.

"Don't worry, I'll give you a quick tour around the school so you won't get lost," Jin finally spoke out, which surprised Xiaoyu.

"Uh, thanks. That would help me a lot," Xiaoyu said. Silence fell once again, causing Xiaoyu to stare out the window at all the passing structures of Tokyo city. Jin and Xiaoyu got out of the limo when it finally arrived at school. The gate was pulled back, revealing a large building with a vast amount of ground.

"Mishima High School," Xiaoyu recited the words on a plaque outside the gate. Xiaoyu jogged to catch up with Jin and just stuck as close to him as possible, feeling like an outsider in this environment. Many dumbfounded stares were directed at her and Jin, and many glares from nearly all of the female students, causing Xiaoyu to cringe behind Jin in fear.

"Gym is at the back, areas A and B are on the bottom floor, C in the middle, D and G the floor after that and H at the top." Jin said in a monotone voice, vaguely waving his arms in random direction in front of a confused Xiaoyu.

"Meet here after school." With that, Jin walked off in a completely random direction, leaving Xiaoyu stranded in the middle of the school grounds.

"_That _was the quick tour?" Xiaoyu said to herself in disbelief. _I can't believe that guy! What IS his deal anyway? _Xiaoyu slowly inched herself towards the massive building, ignoring stares from the other students. As soon as Xiaoyu stepped into the building, she felt like a fish out of water. Everything seem so unfamiliar to her. Her hand casually brushed the side of her skirt and she felt something rough along the side. She realized that there was a zip on the side of the skirt. She opened the zip to find a small piece of paper inside, which happened to be her new timetable. _Well, I guess what Jin told me can be put to some use,_ Xiaoyu read the form class she was going to be in, which was B12, and followed through the corridors of classes until she finally came to her one. She took a deep breath and entered the classroom. A lot of the people had stopped what they were doing, and stared at Xiaoyu.

"Uh," Xiaoyu cleared her throat. "Hi…I'm new here." Xiaoyu said, before taking a couple of steps into the class. A few eyes followed her every move while some just returned to their casual conversations. Xiaoyu took a seat at a desk near the front next to the window and she allowed herself to stare mindlessly out of it. After a few minutes, she felt something prod her shoulder, causing her to turn around.

"I've been trying to call you for a while now," A Japanese girl with short auburn hair and almond eyes greeted her.

"Sorry about that…just kinda zoned out for a second," Xiaoyu apologized.

"Well, I'm Miharu. And you must be…?" She left it purposely unfinished for Xiaoyu to answer. A bright smile came to Xiaoyu's features. _I guess this won't be so bad_.

"Xiaoyu…Ling Xiaoyu."

…_..Lunch…._

"So Xiao, how do you like school so far?" Miharu asked as the two sat outside the massive school building on a concrete wall that ran along the side.

"Well, I can't complain…it's been alright so far. Thanks so much for sticking with me though Mi," Xiaoyu said gratefully.

"Anytime…uh, Xiao? You okay?" Miharu asked with slight concern, because Xiaoyu seemed to be looking around in every direction, as if searching for something…or someone. Xiaoyu's attention immediately snapped back to her new friend.

"Oh nothing. I was just looking for someone, that's all." Xiaoyu's eyes casually drifted from Miharu to over her shoulder and there, she found what she was looking for. Leaning on the concrete wall that ran along the other side of the school building, underneath a Sakura tree, was Jin Kazama.

_There he is! Why is he all by himself? _As Xiaoyu pondered this, her head cocked to one side in thought automatically. Miharu looked over her shoulder to see what she was looking at and she instantly turned back to Xiaoyu.

"Isn't he just the hottest guy you've ever seen?" Miharu said, more as a statement than a question.

"What? No," Xiaoyu said.

"Have you seen hotter?" Miharu asked, raising an eyebrow. Xiaoyu stared at her friend in confusion.

"No, I just – I just don't look at him in that way," Xiaoyu explained.

"Really? Well you're probably the only girl in this school who doesn't see him in that way," Miharu stated.

"Really?" Xiaoyu asked incredulously.

"Of course! Every girl pretty much drools whenever he glances at them. He even has his own little fan club. Every guy also respects him because of his martial arts skills. He's the most popular guy in school!" Miharu informed. She looked over her shoulder to stare at Jin.

"I used to have this major crush on him as well. Would melt whenever I saw him," She chuckled at how she used to be. Miharu turned back to Xiaoyu.

"Now it's not as major as that but there's no denying he's good looking."

"If he's the most popular guy in school, why is he all by himself?" Xiaoyu could feel a sense of sympathy building up inside her as she saw Jin by himself.

"Trust me, there have been many attempts to get even the slightest acquaintance with him…but he always turns them away. It's like he prefers to be alone. Conversations with him have never gone past 'Hi, how are you?'" Miharu explained. Xiaoyu listened to everything she said and looked back at Jin.

"Well, serves him right. I tried to be friends with him earlier but he pushed me away too…but I can't help but feel a little sorry for him…" Xiaoyu said.

"I want to try and be friends with him…maybe he'll stop pushing me away," Xiaoyu thought aloud, causing Miharu to shake her head.

"It's been done before, Xiaoyu. A lot of people only dream of being considered as a friend of Jin Kazama's." Miharu said but it didn't shake Xiaoyu's determination.

"Well, the fact that I live with him should help out – "

"You live with him?!" Miharu said incredulously, interrupting Xiaoyu.

"Yeah…is that a problem?" Xiaoyu asked.

"Okay, this kinda thing is gonna get around the school fast," Miharu started.

"I'm thinking that half the school already heard it from your sudden outburst," Xiaoyu stated, receiving a short glare from Miharu.

"Anyway, you'll either instantly be a best friend or a worst enemy to a lot of girls here," Miharu explained.

"Hey! They can't judge me just because I live with Jin!" Xiaoyu said in annoyance, placing her hands on her hips.

"No, no no…they're not really judging you. Some people are gonna see you as a connection to Jin, so they're gonna majorly suck up to you to pass things onto Jin. Others will see you as a threat, since you might get closer to Jin than they want you to," Miharu explained. Xiaoyu dismissed the thought with the wave of her hand.

"Oh please, nothing like that will ever happen between me and Jin; even if we do live in the same house," Xiaoyu said casually.

"You can't be too sure, Xiao…sometimes things can happen," Miharu warned, causing Xiaoyu to stare at her friend.

"These 'things' won't happen," Xiaoyu stated.

**A/N: Well, that ends the chapter! Wow, I've spent soooo long making this chapter!!! Well, I hope u like it. It took me AAAAGGGGEEESSS but its finally up! Hopefully I would be able to update I believe and Face the Music much more frequently than I used to…where did my daily updates go? Alritey, hope u liked this chapter. Review and tell me what u think!**


	3. Taste of the tournament

**A/N: Eyyyy peoples! Yet another addition to Face the Music by ur superior, Thee Slushee, hahahha! Anyways, I was stuck for sooo long, wondering what the hell I shud do for this chapter! Even now, I still have absolutely no idea what to do!! Hoping it will come to me as I write this…this is just awesome! I'm fighting the insane laziness that has held me back for so long! I'm back ya'll! Hahhaha! Well, hope u like this chapter of Face the Music :D**

**Chapter 3: Taste of the tournament**

Xiaoyu lay on her bed, upside down, watching the flat screen TV that was imbedded in the wall. She had gotten home about two hours ago, so she was still in her school uniform. She was currently watching the music channel, Juice TV, where the song Automatic by Utada Hikaru was playing **(A/N: it's a J-pop song I was obsessed with…pretty cool!)**.

"Man, I'm so bored," Xiaoyu said to herself as she mindlessly watched the music video. Since this was her first day of school, she didn't really get any homework, so she was stuck with nothing to do. Xiaoyu lifted her hands to rest them on the ground and she shifted all her weight onto her hands, performing a handstand and resting her feet on the ground. She snapped her fingers as an idea came to her.

"I know! The reason I'm here is to participate in the third Iron Fist tournament! I'll train," With this, she pulled open one of her suitcases which resided beside her bed, and snatched her training uniform: A royal blue Chinese styled top with yellow cuffs and a yellow design at the top and the two flaps, black shorts with yellow lining on them, and blue and yellow shoes. Xiaoyu rushed over to her vanity table and pulled out two yellow hairties and rushed to the bathroom.

After a few minutes, she emerged from her bathroom. She exited her room and looked down both hallways.

"Okay…now where would the training place be?" Xiaoyu thought to herself as she looked down both hallways, which roughly looked the same.

"I know! I'll ask Jin," She learnt that Jin's room was only a couple of doors down from hers so all she needed to do was ask him. _Hopefully he'll actually tell me instead of just staring at me as if I've said the craziest thing he's ever heard._ She went down the left corridor two doors and knocked on the third door. Silence. Xiaoyu knocked again, a little bit louder. Still silence.

"Jin?" Xiaoyu called, but there was no reply. She turned the door handle and pushed the door open to find an empty room. His room was quite messy: bed sheets strewn on the ground, clothes piled up on his chair to his desk, desk swarmed with assignments and even a few holes in the wall, resulting from punches. Xiaoyu seemed a little intimidated by the look of his room. A flash of gold caught her eye just before she turned to leave. She approached it to find a small golden locket lying on his bed, nestled in the pillow. _Xiao, this is his stuff…don't touch it,_ Xiaoyu commanded herself but curiosity got the better of her…She opened the elliptical locket to find two photos: The one on the left held a picture of Jin when he was much younger, sitting with a Japanese woman on the front porch of a wooden cottage in a forest. The woman was very beautiful, wearing a smile of innocence and happiness while Jin wore a huge grin on his face. _She must be Jin's mother…_Xiaoyu thought to herself. On the other photo was a baby (Xiaoyu assumed it was Jin) being held by a woman with brown hair and a content smile on her face._ She might be his mother too…_Xiaoyu was puzzled by which of the two women was his mother. Instantly realizing what she has done, Xiaoyu closed the locket and placed it back on his bed and hurried out of his room._ What if he walked in on you there? You would've been in such deep trouble!_ Xiaoyu thought as she walked faster and faster away from his room.

"Man! Now how am I going to find the training arena place thing?" Xiaoyu realized after she walked downstairs.

"It's out the back of the compound, Miss Ling," A voice chirped up from behind her. Xiaoyu spun around to see Ms Hamasaki, one of the many workers here in the mansion._ Of course, I could've asked one of the millions that walked passed me when I was busy trying to get away from Jin's room!_ Xiaoyu mentally slapped herself. She wore a grateful smile and bowed.

"Thank you,"

"Anytime Miss Ling," She waved as Xiaoyu turned towards the front door and jogged towards it.

"Oh, Miss Ling!" Ms Hamasaki called out to her but Xiaoyu had already disappeared out the door.

Xiaoyu walked around the mansion to find that it was as wide as it was long. Xiaoyu groaned in annoyance and trudged alongside the outer wall of the mansion, finally arriving at the back five minutes later. She looked over at the back of the mansion to find an entire back porch to the mansion. Xiaoyu sighed, _that's just perfect! I'm half tired out by going round the mansion and there's a back door._ Xiaoyu looked ahead of her to see a small building that was distanced from the mansion. The style of the building had a traditional sense: The body was made entirely out of wood and shingles covered the pointy rooftop **(A/N: It pretty much looks like Hon Maru, k?)**.

As Xiaoyu neared the building, sharp sounds of combat cut through the tranquil silence. _Jin's probably in there…_Xiaoyu thought as she ventured closer towards the building. She considered turning back since the combat area was occupied, but a part of her wanted to see how good Jin was. She stealthily snuck up towards the main paper doors and quietly slid them open. Jin and Heihachi were engaged in intense combat so they didn't notice Xiaoyu sneak in. She closed the door behind her and snuck behind a wooden pillar that supported the ceiling. The area inside the building was about as traditional as it looked from the outside. There were small windows that lined the inner walls at the top, filtering only small beams of light onto the wooden floors. A wooden rail lined the walls, as if it was made for by standers to watch the fight happening in the centre. A large statue of Buddha was at the far end, showing the religious importance in battle.

Xiaoyu peeped around the wooden pillar to have a sneak peak…and it was definitely more intense than any training she received from her grandfather.

Jin threw a fierce head high punch at Heihachi but he ducked the punch and executed a quick rising kick, causing Jin to stagger slightly. Heihachi took advantage of this and performed a quick palm thrust, yelling as he did so. Jin yelled out in pain, skidding along the wooden floor as a result, legs in the air. Jin quickly rolled back and took a couple of quick steps towards Heihachi. Heihachi stood his ground to block the attack that he had predicted Jin will do: A lunging punch. Jin changed his plan of attack from the predicted punch to a roundhouse kick, which smacked Heihachi over the head, making him spin through the air. While Heihachi was on the ground, Jin flipped himself through the air to land on Heihachi's fallen body but all didn't go according to plan as Heihachi executed a quick roll to dodge the attack, allowing Jin to meet the dojo floor. Jin was stunned for a second as he made contact with the ground, which was all the time Heihachi needed to perform a stomp on Jin's body, yellow lightning circling around his foot. A slight yelp escaped Jin's lips as he tried to suppress the pain as he was stomped on. Jin immediately rolled to his feet only to be hit by a powerful uppercut by Heihachi, lightning surging around his arm. Jin collapsed to the ground, managing to support himself on his elbow.

"Get up boy!" Heihachi spat, kicking him in the stomach, causing Jin to be knocked onto his back.

"You'll never be able to defeat Ogre if u can't beat a mere mortal like me!" Heihachi continued. As Jin began to sit up, Heihachi advanced on him, clearly going to deal another attack. But before he could, something interrupted him.

"Don't hurt him!" Xiaoyu couldn't help but shout out to Heihachi. Heihachi spun around to see Xiaoyu timidly leaving her cover behind the pillar to look Heihachi in the eye. A smirk came to Heihachi's features.

"Xiaoyu? What are you doing here?" Heihachi questioned. Behind him, Jin slowly regained his composure, clutching his stomach in pain.

"Well, I-I just…just wanted to train for a bit," Xiaoyu started. "But I can see that you're busy so I'll just come back another time-"

"This is an excellent opportunity for you to get a taste of what the tournament offers, Xiaoyu," Heihachi interrupted Xiaoyu in mid-sentence as she was turning to leave.

"She's entering the tournament?!" Jin asked Heihachi incredulously. "You can't let her enter this tournament, she's far too young," Jin protested. However, instead of doing much good in protesting against Xiaoyu's entry, it slightly annoyed her.

"Jin! How could you instantly think that I can't defend myself in this tournament?" Xiaoyu snapped, placing her hands on her hips.

"Xiaoyu, you don't know what you're getting yourself into," Jin reasoned, wincing as he spoke.

"I am as able as you are to participate in this tournament! So whether you like it or not, I'm entering!" Xiaoyu argued. Heihachi let out a hearty laugh and looked at Xiaoyu.

"Such a fiery spirit you have, Xiaoyu. Care to test out your skills against my grandson?" This suggestion surprised both Jin and Xiaoyu.

"I can't fight her!" Jin immediately protested, which angered Xiaoyu.

"You think you're too good for me? You think that I'm just a defenseless little girl? Alright, that's it! Bring it on." Xiaoyu stepped onto the fighting area and settled into her battle stance with a determined look on her features. Jin exchanged a glance with Heihachi with a "please don't make me do this" look on his face. Heihachi had a stern expression on his face that basically said "you have no choice in the matter". With a sigh, Jin straightened his composure and set himself in his fighting stance. Heihachi got out of the way of the two teenagers and stood behind the barrier.

"FIGHT!" He suddenly called out, which cued Xiaoyu for her first attack. She dashed towards Jin and executed two quick slaps. Jin was prepared to block the first strike but he didn't think the second would come so quickly so it connected with his head. His head veered back due to the impact but only slightly. Xiaoyu brought her hands up and hammered them down on Jin, which he blocked with ease. She extended her hands to follow up the combo, which Jin sidestepped. He took hold of her open arm and kicked her in the face, using the same foot to kick the back of her head. Xiaoyu landed face first on the floor due to Jin's sudden throw. Xiaoyu rolled forward to gain some distance from Jin and eyed him. Jin wasn't sure what to expect, as he had never seen a fighting style quite like hers. As the two stood idle for about ten seconds, Jin made the first move. He rushed forward to deliver a right hook, but Xiaoyu suddenly cart wheeled to the left, leaving his side exposed. Xiaoyu executed a right hook kick from her back stance, sending Jin high into the air. As Jin was coming back down, she executed her signature palm thrust she called 'Storming Flower'. Suddenly Xiaoyu flipped about 3 meters in the air to land on Jin's fallen body but he quickly rolled out of the way. Jin jumped in the air, spun around and delivered a powerful kick, which sent Xiaoyu a couple of meters back. He wasn't finished though as he kept spinning and kicking as he came down to the ground, hitting Xiaoyu with a couple more kicks as she rose up.

Jin dashed towards her and performed a three punch combo. Xiaoyu avoided all three punches by settling in her Art of Phoenix stance. Jin was confused at this kind of stance, but that confusion resulted in an opening. Xiaoyu instantly sprung up from her position low on the ground to a jumping high kick, which connected with the bottom of Jin's chin. As soon as Xiaoyu landed, Jin dealt a right hook, left hook and a lunging punch, causing Xiaoyu to be thrown back by the punch. Xiaoyu started to tire out as the fight progressed but she didn't want to give up. _I'm not going to prove to him that I'm not fit for this tournament! I have to win this fight!_ This was all that was fueling Xiaoyu as she willed herself to stand up and rest back in her fighting stance. She rushed at Jin and prepared to throw at right kick at Jin's face but just as she did, he took hold of her foot.

"Sorry," He whispered to Xiaoyu just before he deflected her blow away and struck a stiff chop to Xiaoyu's neck.

"What the –" Xiaoyu whispered as her vision began to cloud and she lost all feeling in her limbs. She collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

Jin let out a sigh of relief…it was finally over. He really didn't want to fight her. She seemed like such a delicate, vulnerable girl and he didn't want to hurt her. But it turned out that she did have a lot of skill herself in a fighting style he'd never seen before. Still, that doesn't mean that he didn't hold back. Even if he was forced to fight her, fighting her with all his strength would've just been cruel…but he knew that it wouldn't go unpunished by his grandfather.

"Jin, have you learnt nothing?" Heihachi barked at his grandson, who had turned to leave the dojo but was stopped by the sound of his voice. Jin closed his eyes and gritted his teeth before opening them and turning towards Heihachi.

"Don't think I didn't see what you were doing, boy," Heihachi made his way towards Jin, completely ignoring Xiaoyu's unconscious body. Jin's silence seemed to aggravate Heihachi even more.

"If that is how you'll fight her if you just so happen to verse her in the tournament – "

"How could you let her enter the tournament in the first place?!" Jin burst out in the middle of Heihachi's lecture. "She's way too young. She's gonna get herself killed!"

"Xiaoyu is a talented martial artist. She took out my entire force of bodyguards on my cruiser, and they had special martial arts training. Her style is quite unique so it confuses her opponent, much like it did with you. However, if you do not fight every battle that faces you with your full strength, then there's no WAY that you'll make it passed the first round," Heihachi explained. Jin opened his mouth to retaliate but he couldn't think of anything to say. He looked down at Xiaoyu's body on the floor, thinking through what Heihachi said.

"If you cannot unleash your full potential on a mere girl, then there's no way you would be able to stand a chance when you eventually verse Ogre," Just saying Ogre was enough to make Jin's blood boil, thirsty for vengeance. Jin closed his eyes and breathed a sigh before turning around and leaving the dojo. Heihachi cast a look down at Xiaoyu, who was now stirring, groaning slightly. After a few seconds, she sat up, rubbing her neck.

"Jin wasn't using his full force on you, Xiaoyu." Heihachi said, squatting beside Xiaoyu. After processing what he had just said, a slight look of surprise washed across her features.

"He wasn't? Well, I kinda ran blindly into that battle 'cause I was mad at him," Xiaoyu stated with a tinge of embarrassment, looking down. "I don't normally do that, Mr. Mishima," Xiaoyu quickly assured, looking up at Heihachi.

"Well that was your first taste of what the tournament holds...but if you let anger fuel you, it might cost you the match at the tournament. Now go get cleaned up. Dinner is at 7." With that, Heihachi stood up and walked out of the dojo. Xiaoyu watched as he left before standing up herself and stretching. _Man, did I just make myself look a bit crap…oh well, I'll make up for it next time, and prove to Jin that I'm no pushover…and to prove to Mr. Mishima that bringing me here wasn't a mistake._

**A/N: Yo Yo ya'll! Man, has this chapter taken ages to stick up! I had the majority of this chapter up except I was debating whether to stick the music bit here before this chapter…then I figured out that this would be one of the only fight chapters, if not the only fight chapter. As ya'll know, this story is gonna revolve around and entirely different form of art :P But I will throw in a couple of fight chapters, to remind ya'll that this takes place before the third tournament…well, I hope u liked this chapter! Oh and Happy New yearrrr!!! Well, its 2007 here (YEAH!!! In the future, how awesome is that?). Ahem, anyway, review! I'll work on I believe now and see if I can get that chapter up today…if not, then maybe tomorrow, haha.**


	4. Third time's the charm

**A/N: Holllyyyyy crap! How long has it been since the last chapter? Bout 6 months?? Absolutely sorry bout the overly, inexcuseably delayed update. Wudnt blame sum of ya who lost interest in this story coz of how long it took! But thanks to a bit of a motivational boost by Kapsule Corp :D I thought its bout time I did this! Altho, I've gotta tell u: Year 12 is absolutely KILLER! Its had me occupied for this long and only now (even tho I really shud b working on sum of those research assignments) have I thought to update these. Alrighty, ya'll don't need to hear me blab bout my life. Time to do what you guys (well some of u) have wanted to see for at least 6 months! Hope u enjoy!**

**Chapter 4: Third time's the charm**

About three days have passed since the battle. Xiaoyu's last battle with Jin had been playing over and over in her mind. _I could've SO blocked those punches! And why did I try that move for? That jumpkick could've been a lot more powerful!_ Xiaoyu was analyzing her performance for the millionth time and criticizing it from every possible angle during her Chemistry class. _And I could've done something else in Phoenix – _

"Miss Ling!" Xiaoyu was brutally brought back from her trance at the mention of her name from the clear, sharp voice of the short Chemistry teacher. "Would you kindly state what I'm going to explain to the class?" This sounded more like a demand than a request.

"Uhh…" Panic rose within Xiaoyu as she racked her brain, attempting to remember what on earth the Chemistry teacher had been going on about all this time. Seeing Xiaoyu squirm after being put on the spot seemed to satisfy her: one of the pleasures of putting an inattentive student on the spot provided. Miharu's bony elbow jabbed at Xiaoyu's side in an obvious attempt to get her attention. Miharu tapped her pen on her notes that might save her from this situation.

"Th-The difference between the structure of graphite and the structure of diamond," Xiaoyu quickly read off Miharu's notes and looked back at the teacher with a sheepish grin, hoping this would be sufficient for the teacher to be off her case.

"You better start paying attention, Miss Ling, so you won't need to be saved by Miss Hirano next time." A look of surprise washed across Xiaoyu's face as she stole a glance at Miharu. "Now then class," The Chemistry teacher resumed her teachings of the structural difference between Diamond and Graphite and Xiaoyu didn't steal a chance to daydream about her fight again. After twenty grueling minutes of Organic Chemistry, the bell rang, signifying the end of the lesson and the end of school. Xiaoyu's spirits lifted as she had been looking forward to it all day as auditions for the school orchestra were being held. After saying her goodbyes to Miharu, Xiaoyu skipped off down the hall towards the music department, her flute case swinging lightly at her side. Before even reaching the music hall, where the auditions were taking place, Xiaoyu saw a crowd of students, all with their individual instruments in their hands, playing scales and rehearsing their audition pieces. She settled her bag and flute case on the floor near the wall opposite the music hall and as she was delicately assembling her flute, a thought occurred to her: _Why is everyone playing so loudly? Won't they hear them inside?_ Xiaoyu thought to herself as her eyebrows knotted in thought, head automatically falling to one side.

"The music hall's soundproof," A younger girl with a trumpet in her hand beside Xiaoyu answered her question as if she read her mind.

"How did you know – "

"All the new people make that face when they try out," The girl chuckled, revealing light blue braces embedded on her teeth as she smiled. Xiaoyu chuckled along with the girl before turning her attention to the audition list. Xiaoyu had been one of the first people there to sign up beforehand so no doubt her audition would be early on. As if on cue, a tall man wearing glasses and a black beret stepped out of the audition room and all went silent.

"Miss Ling Xiaoyu?" He called and Xiaoyu immediately strode towards, her flute clasped in both hands.

"Good luck!" The girl from before wished Xiaoyu as she strode past her. Xiaoyu replied with a smile and a wave and went inside, the hallways erupting in sound again as the door closed. The music hall itself was quite massive, more than capable of housing an orchestra with seventy or so people in it on stage and enough room for an audience up to one hundred people. Sitting in the audience area were the three music teachers at this school: A short young looking woman with her black shoulder length hair tied back in a short ponytail with a polite smile on her face, a woman who looked older than the previous with long brown silky hair kept in place with a silver headband and glasses, as well as the man from before wearing a beret.

"Miss Ling Xiaoyu, trying out for the part of Flute 1," The woman with brown hair recited, reading her sign up form. She placed the paper back down on the table that the three sat at, which reminded Xiaoyu of the Idol panel. She crossed her arms across the table and adjusted her glasses, not taking her eyes off Xiaoyu. "So, what will you be playing for us tonight?"

"Well, uh…I'll be playing the Flight of the Bumblebee on my flute." Xiaoyu saw all three of the music teachers raise their eyebrows and pour even more focus onto her. _I hope I do this right,_ Xiaoyu had not rehearsed this since when she was last in China, and she deeply regretted not practicing it beforehand. She raised the flute to her lips and took a deep breath. She immediately blew out a cascade of high notes falling gracefully down a tone that signified the beginning of the Flight of the Bumblebee. Her fingers were flying, lifting and pressing various buttons which gain access to various sounds. Her only challenge was to sneak in breaths surreptitiously in between the extremely fast semiquavers as not to deter from the whole effect of the piece. There were a few wrong notes here and there but Xiaoyu tried her best not to show it and kept going. By the time the piece ended, Xiaoyu was almost out of breath but masked the massive puffs of her lungs working overtime to regain oxygen back into her system by smiling at the teachers and bowing.

"Very well done, Miss Ling. A list will be put up on the Music Department notice board of the students who were selected and which parts they were given." Said the first woman with a short, black ponytail.

"Thank you," Xiaoyu said breathlessly and she power walked out of the music hall, her flute still clasped within both her hands. "Stupid, stupid stupid," Xiaoyu hissed at herself when she exited the room, smacking her forehead with her right hand three times corresponding to the number of stupid's she uttered. "I _knew _I should've brought my music!" During her performance, her mind almost went blank of what she was supposed to play but she thankfully recovered herself before the piece got too out of hand. She weaved her way in between the many musical hopefuls to reach her bag and her flute case. Packing her flute away, she hoisted her bag over her shoulder and made her way out of the building and towards the Mishima Mansion.

* * *

Xiaoyu pranced into her room the next day after school, feeling very bright as she got her desired part in the orchestra, and she only missed out on Lead Flute by a hair. "If I played Flight of the Bumblebee better, I would've SO gotten Lead Flute," Xiaoyu said to herself, with a tinge of sadness, feeling slightly down that she could've done much better. "But still," She added in a much brighter tone. "I'm in Flute 1!" After dropping her bag onto the floor by her desk and resting her flute case on her desk, she paused without letting go of the handle. She stared at her ebony flute case sprinkled with chibi panda pictures and a yellow ribbon tied around the handle, contemplating a fresh thought, observing it from different angles to see whether it's the best course of action. _Ahh, I'll do my homework later,_ Xiaoyu finally settled happily and clicked open her flute case, revealing two silver gleaming parts to a flute. She fixed the parts together and turned it slowly around her fingertips with a reminiscent smile on her face. She received this flute from her family five years ago on her birthday. She turned the flute around to its underside and touched the engraved Chinese characters of her name, tracing her name down the silver tube. The flute acted as a good luck charm to her, which was one of the reasons she brought it along with her to Japan. Flipping the flute the right way around, she blew into the mouthpiece and played the standard tuning note: Concert A. She stopped playing immediately after noticing the roughness of the sound. Xiaoyu peered into the mouthpiece and spotted the culprit: beads of spit. Taking out her cleaning stick, she entered the bathroom and searched for anything she could use. _Hmmm…toilet paper isn't going to cut it…towels are too thick…and I'm not using a sock to clean my flute!_ Xiaoyu sighed and walked out of her bathroom, dropping her head as the search ended in failure.

Her head perked up at yet another idea. _Maybe there's some in the kitchen._ With this hopeful thought in mind, Xiaoyu exited her bedroom and looked down identical hallways, wondering which way she should go. Deciding the go right, as that's the way that went downstairs, Xiaoyu walked on, flute and cleaning stick clasped in both her hands as if it was a weapon. _There really should be arrows or a map or something to direct people where they wanna go in a huge place like this, _Xiaoyu thought as she made her way down the curved stairwell and into the lobby, wondering where to go once more.

"Miss Ling?" A voice perked up behind Xiaoyu once again, making her jump and spin around. It had once again, been Ms Hamasaki. "You seem lost. Can I help you?"

"Oh…yeah. I kinda need a paper towel or something to clean my flute with?" Xiaoyu held up her flute with a sheepish grin. Ms Hamasaki took a bunch of tissue papers from her pocket and handed them to Xiaoyu.

"I hope these will be sufficient,"

"Uh, yeah…thanks," Xiaoyu bowed and before she knew it, the servant had disappeared. Instead of wondering why she had tissues on her, she wrapped two tissues around the cleaning rod and inserted it into the flute's end, twisting it around to collect all the spit inside. As she was cleaning her flute, her acute hearing had just picked up on the sound of a piano. A _**grand**_piano. Xiaoyu hopped excitedly on the spot, having never played on the grand piano before. At a young age, most Chinese children were encouraged by their family to learn the piano. The piano didn't interest Xiaoyu much so when she reached Grade 5, she dropped it and began to pick up the flute. But it was still a grand piano and she wanted to play it. She jogged towards the origin of the sound but was careful of her footsteps, not wanting to disturb the person who was playing. Her sense of hearing lead her to a highly polished wooden double door with a shiny golden handle. With complete care, not wanting to make a sound, she pushed the handle and slowly opened the door, the slight creaks in the door making her freeze but as the musician kept playing; she continued opening it to peer inside. The musician playing was a man: only distinguishable as a teenager due to the Mishima High school uniform he wore. He had his back towards her, the magnificent obsidian Grand Piano stretched out before him. It immediately clicked within her that the musician was Jin Kazama. _He didn't seem the type to play the piano…_Xiaoyu thought, as the graceful sounds of Debussy's Deux Arabesques (1) floated through the tiny crack in the door and into Xiaoyu's ears.

Xiaoyu felt like she was in a trance, truly amazed at Jin playing so gracefully and beautifully on the piano. It was just then that a thought occurred to her. _Time for an awesome third impression, _a smile came onto Xiaoyu's features as she yanked the cleaning rod out of the flute, screwed up the tissue and, after looking around for a location, shoved it into her pocket and holding the cleaning stick in her hand. She quietly pushed open the door, entered and just as quietly closed the door. Placing the rod on the floor, she stood up straight, listening to the last few minutes of the piece.

When the piece ended, before Jin had anytime to consider what to play next, Xiaoyu began playing a piano-flute duet she knew: Andante by Mozart (1). Just as she thought, Jin didn't instantly turn around to see who was playing, but rather recognized the tune and began playing the piano accompaniment. Both instruments complimented each other perfectly, creating a truly beautiful and moving piece. Just as Xiaoyu played skillful cadenzas, her fingers working incredibly fast, Jin didn't try to overpower her as the flute was the main focus of this piece, but played his sections without the flute with poise and confidence. As soon as the piece ended, Jin swiveled around in his seat to find that the mysterious flutist was indeed the Chinese girl now living with him.

"I didn't know you could play the flute," Jin broke the silence that settled in the piano hall.

"And I didn't know you could play the piano," Xiaoyu echoed, beaming with her flute clasped in both hands in front of her. "You played really well. I was listening when you played Deax Arabesques," At this, turned away to hide his face, blushing from the compliments.

"You…you played great as well," He faced her again as Xiaoyu was striding towards him. As soon as she was close enough to reach out and stroke the grand piano, Jin quickly stood up from his seat, rooted to his position.

"Wow…a Grand Piano. How long have you been playing for?" Xiaoyu looked up at Jin with a curious look on her face. Jin looked back down on the Grand Piano and ran his fingers along the keys.

"For as long as I can remember. My mother taught me on an upright…then when I moved in with my grandfather, I kept playing on the Grand." There was a sense of reminiscence in his voice but also a twinge of pain. Xiaoyu sensed this and decided not to prod about where she is and why he lives with his grandfather. In a search for another topic, she stared back at the glistening surface, staring at her dark reflection on its surface. When a thought came to her, her head briskly turned back to Jin.

"How come you didn't try out for the school orchestra?" This made Jin turn back to face her. "I'm sure you would make a better pianist than the one they decided on,"

"Playing with a group doesn't really interest me…I prefer solo pieces. It means I can just play and enjoy it on my own."

"Oh…but your talent would be recognized and you'll become a respected musician – "

"I get enough of that being Heihachi Mishima's grandson!" Jin unexpectedly snapped at Xiaoyu. This took her by surprise as she watched Jin take a deep breath.

"Sorry about that…" This also surprised Xiaoyu. _Did he just say sorry? _"It's just that, being famous isn't what I really want…I like being alone,"

"Well…there's nothing like being alone than being alone with company right?" Jin stared at Xiaoyu with a confused expression. Xiaoyu then realized how weird her statement sounded. "Well, even if you prefer being alone, having _one _friend to spend that alone-ness with is also great right?" She explained, hoping she made even the tiniest bit of sense. Jin stared at her for a little bit but then a small smile formed on his features, which once again surprised Xiaoyu. _He's capable of human emotion? Is this the same Jin that I met on my first night here?_

"Yeah, I know what you mean," He looked back at the grand piano. "Me and my mother were alone together at Yakushima forest. No other people for miles. It is better than being _entirely_ alone,"

"Well then, it's settled," Xiaoyu clasped her hands together, flute still clutched in her hand, and beamed up at Jin.

"Anytime you don't feel like being _entirely _alone, I'll be right here," Xiaoyu stated with a big smile on her face. Jin stared at her questioningly, his smile still intact. "Or more likely, when I don't feel like being entirely alone, you'll be there, right?" She asked with a slight uncertainty in her voice. Jin smiled and nodded at her statement. But just as there was actual progress taking place, the beeping of Xiaoyu's emerald green watch cut through the air, to Xiaoyu's dismay. She stole a glance at her watch but then did a double take.

"It's been really nice talking to you, Jin, but I've gotta go," Xiaoyu said quickly, walking backwards towards the door she came from as she said this. "Just remembered, I have to write a letter back home," Xiaoyu explained before picking up her cleaning rod and walking towards the door. She stopped at the door and turned around, to see Jin having not moved. "We should play together sometime. Learn a worthwhile duet,"

"We should," Came Jin's reply, making the smile on Xiaoyu's face, if possible, wider.

"Seeya!" She disappeared behind the door and made her way towards her bedroom, her spirits high. _I'm making progress with him! Too bad that the letter had to ruin an actual conversation with him, _Xiaoyu thought as she climbed the stairs towards the second floor. When she reached her door, she stood outside it for a second. "Third time's the charm," Xiaoyu said to herself as she opened the door and began writing the letter back home.

(1)– **LOL! I like looked up vids for Debussy and Flute Piano duets on youtube to pick a song for them to play. Look them up to see what they sound like if you want.**

**A/N: Wooohhhh! That's that chapter done. Now this took me a while to do…I'm sooooo sorry if I bored you to death with this chapter! I'm sorta trying to get back into the flow of writing Tekken fanfiction again. The only writing I have been doing wud be practice for the creative writing assessment (which I'm totally looking forward to :D). Anyhu, hope I didn't disappoint for a comeback chapter after SIX MONTHS! But yeah, it wud be a bit rocky…review pweeeeze!**


	5. Talent Quest

**A/N: Heyhey, ya'll. Just thought I oughta finish off this fic. Last thing I wanna do is totally duck out of the fanfic world leaving a fic unfinished. Dw, this isn't the last chapter or anything. This fic still has a few more chapters, but I am gonna speed things along so I get this done on time. Hopefully it doesn't turn out totally crap, or anything. But we'll see how it goes. Hope you enjoy!**** Oh, and I don't own the piece in this chapter! Onwards!**

**Chapter 5: Talent Quest**

A couple of weeks have passed since Xiaoyu's musical encounter with Jin. The tournament looked more menacing and real as it drew closer to D-Day. Xiaoyu had been training almost everyday by herself, as the tournament is one of the biggest moments in her life. But she is also enjoying her time at Mishima High School. Xiaoyu had become close friends with Miharu Hirano, and she felt that she had made more progress with Jin. The Chinese youth was in a good place at this moment in time. And it was about to get better.

The school bell rang, initiating the start of lunch break. Xiaoyu and Miharu casually strolled down the hallway towards the main entrance of the building to have lunch outside. However, there seemed to be a large swarm of students blocking the way out.

"What's happening over there?" Xiaoyu questioned inquisitively, standing on her tiptoes to try and see over the numerous heads.

"Looks like there's something new on the notice-board," Miharu observed, pointing to the right of the corridor where there was a big poster pinned up on the notice-board.

"I'm gonna go check it out," The Chinese youth notified her friend before pushing and prodding her way through multiple bodies to get to the notice-board. She eventually pushed through the very front of the mob and looked up at the poster.

"Talent Quest," Xiaoyu recited the words printed onto the A3 poster in fancy lettering along with silhouettes of a singer with a microphone stand, a dancer and a guitar. Xiaoyu's eyes lit up as a fresh idea popped into her mind. She tore off an entry form from the pad that was pinned beside the poster and manoeuvred her way back through the mob to find her Japanese friend.

"So, what's the big deal?" Miharu asked as Xiaoyu emerged out of the crowd.

"There's a talent quest on next week," Xiaoyu explained, handing her the form to read over.

"Oooh, sounds fun," Miharu looked back up at Xiaoyu. "You gonna go for it?"

"I was actually thinking that me and Jin should go for it," Xiaoyu revealed her idea, which wasn't greeted with as much enthusiasm as she had. Miharu responded with a look of scepticism.

"I know you said that you've been making progress with Jin, but do you really think that he would go for something like this? With the tournament coming up and everything?" Miharu questioned.

"Well, it _might _take some convincing," Xiaoyu admitted. "But I reckon that he would. He really does have a gift for playing the piano. And I won't rest until he performs with me at the Talent Quest," Xiaoyu concluded with determination, placing her hands firmly on his hips.

"Yeeaahh," Miharu said with uncertainty. "Good luck with that," She added with a thumbs up, causing Xiaoyu to pout at Miharu's lack of faith.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Xiaoyu replied wryly.

* * *

"Ahh, there he is," Xiaoyu said as she spied her housemate from the other side of the courtyard, preparing to pitch her talent quest idea to him.

"Xiao, are you sure about this?" The still unsure Miharu asked.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Xiaoyu said confidently, and before Miharu could stop her, she marched over to the solitary Jin Kazama, who was leaning/half sitting on the small concrete wall that curved around from the stairs. He shifted his attention from his shoes as Xiaoyu approached from his right.

"Hey Jin!" Xiaoyu greeted enthusiastically.

"Hi, Xiaoyu," Jin replied, almost like he was caught completely off guard.

"I have a proposition for you," Xiaoyu unfolded the sign up form in her hand and showed it to Jin. "There's a talent quest next week,"

"And?" He scanned his eyes briefly over the entry form and then cast his eyes back at Xiaoyu.

"I reckon we should go for it," Xiaoyu suggested, causing Jin to raise an eyebrow.

"And do what?"

"A flute/piano duet?" Xiaoyu answered slowly. _Does he have any recollection of us playing together?_ Jin cast his eyes up towards the sky.

"Why do it?" Jin asked rhetorically. "I don't know if you've noticed, but we have a tournament coming up. We won't have time to practice for some talent quest," He turned his head to face Xiaoyu again. "I need to train constantly. I thought you would understand that, since you need to _more _than I do,"

Xiaoyu felt like he had slapped her. _Did he just imply what I _think _he just implied?_ Xiaoyu's blood began to boil. _Calm down, Xiao. Don't go ape on him, _Xiaoyu's inner peacekeeping voice silenced all notions to hit him with a powerful kick to the crotch. _You'll show him eventually, but just keep it together for now._

"Come on, it'll be fun," Xiaoyu recovered, beaming up at him to further advertise the cause. "We'll win it hands down. It'll be good morale for the upcoming tournament," Xiaoyu added, hoping that putting it in context of the tournament will help change Jin's mind. He looked down for a few seconds, contemplating the idea. _He's actually thinking about it! This could work! _Xiaoyu thought hopefully as she anticipated his final answer. When he looked back up at her, Xiaoyu's smiled faded as Jin's expression said it all.

"You can waste your time with the talent quest if you want. But I don't plan to," With that, Jin picked up his schoolbag, slung it over his shoulder, and strolled away from Xiaoyu. The pig-tailed youth stomped back to Miharu.

"I take it didn't go well?" Miharu asked smugly, ready to pounce into the 'I told you so' lecture.

"I don't get it, Miharu," Xiaoyu said suddenly, catching Miharu by surprise. "I was doing so well with him! Why'd he have to go and take a giant leap backwards?"

"I told you that Jin's not the people type," Miharu answered. "Lots of people have tried. What makes you any different?"

"Well, I have a secret weapon," Xiaoyu boasted confidently. Miharu raised her eyebrow in interest. "We live in the same building, man! I can…_push _the idea," A sneaky smile crept onto Xiaoyu's features. Miharu mirrored Xiaoyu's expression.

"You better hope that works,"

* * *

"Come on, Jin. It'll be a nice break from fighting," Xiaoyu hopped out of the limo to follow Jin to the Mishima mansion after school had ended. "I bet you will have fun," Xiaoyu continued to push the idea. Jin's patience began to reach its limits. He immediately stopped before he went inside to confront Xiaoyu.

"My answer is still NO!" Jin stomped into the mansion, leaving a dumfounded Xiaoyu. She crossed her arms and rubbed her chin in thought.

"I'm gonna need a different approach,"

**Later**

_He always seems to be in a better mood when he's on the piano, _Xiaoyu thought to herself as she approached the double door that led to the Grand Piano. The melody wafting through the door indicated that he was there right now, so this was the best time to ask him about the talent quest. She pushed down on the handle as quietly as she could and edged inside the room, careful to not alert him to her presence. When the piece ended, she clamped two pieces of paper she had with her between her hip and her elbow and clapped her hands (with her flute in hand) in applause. Jin spun around on his seat to see her.

"I'm not interested, Xiaoyu," He stated as a pre-emptive strike.

"That was beautiful," Xiaoyu commented, ignoring his words, walking towards him. "If I could play like you, I'd still be playing the piano,"

"You used to play?" He asked, relieved that she didn't come to pressure him some more.

"Yeah, well. Back home in China, most parents forced their kids to learn. I got sick of it so I switched to flute when I reached Grade 5,"

"Well if you were being forced to play, it would seem less fun. It's the best when you playing from free will," Jin said, staring at his dark reflection on the shiny surface.

"Anyway, I was kinda hoping," Xiaoyu took hold of the pieces of paper she had and spread them across the music stand on the piano. "Do you think you can play this for me? It's one of my favourite pieces on the piano,"

"I'm not a very good sight reader," Jin warned as he scanned through the sheet music, though the music was quite simple.

"Please?" Xiaoyu put on her best adorable-eyes, which have worked quite well in the past. Not even Jin was immune to it. He sighed.

"Okay, but I hope I don't ruin it." He took a deep breath and placed his hands on the keyboard. He furrowed his eyebrows in concentration and slowly began to play Lifestream from the Final Fantasy VII OST. His eyes constantly moved from the music to the keyboard, ensuring that he was playing the piece right. The simplicity was staggering for a piece that carried such magic. When the melody was about to be repeat itself an octave lower for the first time, Xiaoyu began playing the melody at the original octave on her flute, the two textures complementing each other perfectly. The piano then began to play supporting chords. Xiaoyu took the opportunity for a simple variation on the melody line, careful not to overcomplicate the piece or it will lose its magic.

The melody of the piece returned to the piano, and Xiaoyu improvised echoing phrases of the melody during the tied semibreves. When the piece ended, the two musicians remained silent for a few minutes, taking in what just happened. Jin looked up at Xiaoyu.

"That's an incredible piece," Jin finally said, causing Xiaoyu to grin.

"It just takes you away, doesn't it?" Xiaoyu mused, her flute at her side now.

"It's so simple, yet it's so powerful," Jin further commented, turning his head back to look over the music. "Can I keep this?"

"Yeah, of course you can," Xiaoyu said as if he didn't even need to ask. "So Jin, still don't wanna do the talent quest?" Jin froze as he piled the sheet music together and looked back up at Xiaoyu. Xiaoyu cocked her head sideways, looking at him expectantly. He cast his eyes downward, now reconsidering the offer.

"Well, we wouldn't do this piece. It's much too simple. We need something that'll _wow _the audience, you know?" Xiaoyu continued, sensing Jin's change of heart.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to play this piece anyway," Jin looked back up at Xiaoyu. "This is now _my _piece," A smile touched Jin's features.

"Hey, that's not fair. It was my favourite first," Xiaoyu teased, sitting down on the piano bench next to him.

"Too bad, it's mine now," Xiaoyu chuckled. _Wow, he _really _loosens up when he's at the piano._ "So, what do you say?"

"Xiaoyu, the piano is kind of like _my _thing. It's really private to me." Jin explained. "It's something I like to do to calm me down and it makes me feel at peace with myself. It's not something I would share with other people, you know?"

"Oh," Xiaoyu said as she looked down at the flute on her lap, clearly disappointed. "So it's your private thing. Not something you like to do with other people, huh?"

"That's not what I meant," Jin said in an effort to not offend her.

"No, I get it." Xiaoyu stood up and plastered a grin on her face, though her eyes said differently. "It's _your _thing. I thought both of us were enjoying playing together but I guess I was just imposing, so sorry." Xiaoyu quickly shuffled towards the door, leaving Jin behind at the piano.

* * *

Xiaoyu flopped onto her bed in her room.

"Guess he really isn't a people person, like what Miharu said," Xiaoyu said to herself, her eyes casually probing the ceiling. _Looks like that's down the drain. Maybe he's right though. I should be concentrating on the tournament. Music should just be _my _thing, too._ At that moment, there was a knock on her door.

"Come in," Xiaoyu's automated response took action as she lay on the bed in a daze. The head that tentatively popped through the door was someone she wasn't expecting though. She turned her head sideways to view the suspect.

"Jin?" Xiaoyu slowly sat up as he closed the door, came into her room and sat on the corner of her bed.

"I'm sorry, I did enjoy playing with you," Jin said. "It was kinda refreshing actually; not being just me in that big piano room,"

"Well good. At least I did something right," Xiaoyu responded. At that moment, Jin turned his head away and stared at the door.

"There's a reason why I don't get out there and play for groups or anything," He rested his elbows on his knees at stared at the floor.

"Yeah? What's that?" Xiaoyu asked.

"I've never told anyone this before, apart from my grandfather," Jin started, indicating the importance of what he was about to divulge.

"You can trust me," Xiaoyu reassured, inching closer to Jin. He sighed, and then began to speak.

"My mother was the one who taught me how to play the piano ever since I was about eight years old. She was the kindest, warmest and most caring people I know," Xiaoyu sensed pain in Jin's words. _What happened to her?_

"She played so well. I always wanted to play as well as she could. Her pieces would always make me feel good, no matter how down I was that day," The memories brought a sad smile onto Jin's face. "But then she was murdered by Ogre," Xiaoyu gasped at this revelation. "That's why I'm here. My grandfather is my only other relative because my father's dead as well," Jin's voice was laden with anger and sorrow as he talked about his mother's death.

"Jin…" Xiaoyu said sympathetically, not sure what she could say to comfort him.

"It's okay, I never really knew my father. He died before I was born. I'm told I'm the spitting image of him though," Jin chuckled, but there was no sign of genuine laughter. Seeing the truth now, Xiaoyu felt bad that she thought he was just an anti-social jerk.

"You've been through so much…" Xiaoyu made her way across the bed until she was kneeling beside Jin. "So is that why you haven't really become friends with anyone at school?" Jin positioned himself so that he faced Xiaoyu, resting his left hand on the bed.

"Well, my mother was really the only person I ever knew. We lived in a pretty remote place. I wasn't sure how to trust other people,"

"But you have such a following at school," Jin chuckled rolled his eyes.

"I wouldn't call it a following…" Jin attempted to make it sound less of a big deal than it was but to no avail.

"The rest of the world would! You have any idea how many girls I've had to beat away with a stick to stop giving me love letters to pass onto you?" Xiaoyu joked, the image she conjured in her mind making her giggle.

"I don't even know why those girls are so hell bent on trying to get my attention,"

"Bull, you fully know. I bet you love it too," Xiaoyu teased. The two talked for a few more minutes before Jin decided to go train.

"Oh, one more thing," Jin said before he left the room.

"Hmm?"

"I'll do it. The talent quest, I mean." Xiaoyu's features lit up immediately.

"Are you sure about this? I mean, it's your_ thing_, after all," Xiaoyu asked.

"Well, it can be _our _thing,"

"Thanks, Jin," Xiaoyu grinned ear to ear, infecting Jin with a smile of his own. After he left, Xiaoyu flopped back onto her bed. _You did it, Xiaoyu. You did what no-one else could: you became friends with Jin Kazama. _Xiaoyu continued to stare at the ceiling, feeling quite proud of herself. _I hope he doesn't go Mr Hyde on me though,_ Xiaoyu thought wryly, hoping this time he won't take a gigantic leap backwards again.

**A/N: LOL! Awwww as I was writing this, I was thinking about what Jin would be like BEFORE all the betrayal and hatred towards his family. I think he'd actually be a really nice guy!**** And he still thinks that Kazuya is dead =P Awwww too bad what awaits him will change him for the worse! But OMG! I wasn't originally gonna have an actual piece in this, it was gonna be a random song…but when I found Lifestream (piano version) on Youtube yesterday, I was listening to it on repeat for AGES so I thought that would be the piece here! It's so magical and it really does take you away! It's not for everyone, coz its REAL simple and it might be boring, but I LOVED IT! But anyway, hope you liked this chapter. Review please!**


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